


Long Distance Love

by ScarletWinter2478



Category: Sebastian Stan - Fandom
Genre: Cute, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Happy Ending, Imagine Sebastian Stan, Love at First Sight, One Shot, Romance, Short One Shot, taking a chance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2018-10-13
Packaged: 2019-08-01 15:19:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16287014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScarletWinter2478/pseuds/ScarletWinter2478
Summary: Working at a radio station has it perks.  Julie Cassidy found that out one weekend while broadcasting live from the Kansa City Comic Con.  When Sebastian Stan agreed to do an on-air interview with her, it was the opportunity of a life time. When she volunteered to take him to lunch, it got even better!





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This work was previously titled "Between Pickles and Friends"

 

“Hey everybody… how’s it going out there? This is Julie Cassidy along with the always stylish Graham Parker and we are coming to you live from Bartle Hall in downtown Kansas City.  We’ll be here tonight and tomorrow enjoying the sights and sounds and all the around frenzy of the Kansas City Comic Con! We would love to meet you guys, so please stop by and say hello while we try to take it all in and do our best to keep you rockin’ at the same time! I am super excited!!”

“You are not,” teased her co-host.

“Yes! Yes I am!” Julie fired back, “You know how much I love all things to do with outer space and action and adventure.  Cant’ you see I’m even wearing my Capt. America t-shirt?!”

“Yeah, yeah… you only like those stories because of the sexy action heroes that manage to turn up in all the movies.”

“Graham, that is not true!”

“Ok then, name me one action movie that YOU love that doesn’t have a good looking dude in it.” Graham was not going to let it pass and he laughed out loud at the look on her face.

“Right, that’s what I thought. While Julie tries to figure that one out, here’s some Scorpions to hold you over,” and with that the unmistakable sounds of “No One Like You” filled the airwaves.

As the music played, they compared show notes and prepared for an interesting night. Their booth was set up just inside the main hall, back in a corner to be out of the way, but providing a clear view of the floor and the dozens and dozens of booths set up.  Julie was going to be the roving DJ talking with as many people as time allowed.  Noting the hordes of attendees, many in costumes, she couldn’t help but giggle at the whole thing.  It was like a Rock fest for comic book fans, complete with t-shirts and expensive tickets! 

As the evening went on, the building was filling with people; fans and guests alike. The constant drone of voices and laughter and even some squeals of delight filled the whole place and Julie found herself smiling more and more.  The K-ROC booth was a popular stopping point for many, as Julie and Graham were two of the local favorites around the KC Metro area.   As planned, Julie left the booth a few times to walk among the crowd and experience the con the way the fans were.  She was accosted by several cosplay characters from Game of Thrones, ran into two different Spider-men, met dozens of fans dressed as various Star Wars characters and shared a hot dog with the alien from Predator.  Many fans of the radio show stopped to speak with her, sharing their reasons for attending and one little girl asked her for her autograph.  It was turning out to be a totally enjoyable night. 

 

 

Sebastian had already done several interviews and was on his way to Hall B for a photo op when he noticed the small pack of people on the main floor, gathered around a smiling, glowing, perky, “girl next door” type with a phone in her hand and wearing a Capt. America tee. He couldn’t help but grin at the look of utter surprise that crossed her face when a little girl stepped up to her, apparently asking for her autograph.  She stooped down to be eye to eye with her ‘fan’ and spoke with her for a moment while her parents and others snapped photos.  After that she hopped up, saying goodbye to the small group gathered around her and began making her way to the corner where a booth had been set up for a radio broadcast.    He didn’t know why exactly, but he thought he might like to stop by there and see what the fuss was about.

He spent the next hour or so meeting fans and posing for pictures and the photo op was over in the blink of an eye. On his way back to the ‘green room’ where he planned to mingle for a while, he heard someone burst into laughter and at that moment the curtain that separated the guest zone from the fan zone parted to allow the “girl next door ”and a handful of others access to the hallway.  He smiled broadly as he caught the recognition on her face… now was his chance.  A man named Ben whose badge identified him as a sponsor of the event spotted Sebastian and reached out to take his hand introducing him to “Julie Cassidy from 96.5 FM, K-ROC”.  She smiled brightly, shaking his hand as well, blushing softly when he nodded at her shirt giving her an adorable grin and a thumbs up. 

They were standing in the middle of the hallway, and a large group from one of the newer sci-fi shows was trying to make their way down the hall with great exuberance... Sebastian took her hand and gently pulled her out of harm’s way.  She smiled up at him, thanking him and damn if she didn’t smell so delicious he wanted to bury his face against her neck.  When the noisy group had passed, Ben told Sebastian that Julie was looking for people to interview on air the next day and wondered if he would be available.  Julie was chewing softly on her lip as Ben spoke, her eyes locked on Sebastian’s face.  She needed to get back to the table with Graham shortly, but if she could somehow get Sebastian Stan for an interview, she knew she would be queen for a day!!   To her complete surprise, he looked at her nodding in the affirmative, “Yes!  I would love to do that!  When and where?” 

They moved to a quiet corner and compared schedules for Saturday, finally agreeing on a time. Julie offered Sebastian his choice of a “live on air” interview or a pre-recorded interview that they could do away from the crowds.  After a brief pause he said, “Well, you don’t look THAT scary, so let’s just go for it!” She nodded her approval and after only a few more minutes, Julie heard Graham in her earpiece wondering just where in the hell she was and was she ever coming back!!    Nodding, she spoke softly and thanked Ben and Sebastian and to her surprise, Seb put his hand on her arm, pulling her into a hug.  Gawwwwd!!  She almost, ALMOST lost it, but managed to remain calm enough to say goodnight and make her way back to the booth. 

With ten minutes of broadcast time left, Julie & Graham filled the air with more chatter than usual. Both were enjoying their surroundings enormously and having a great time.    During a short commercial break, she took a moment to give Graham the news about the interview.  His eyes grew large as saucers.  He was bit of a comic book fan and was quite impressed that she had been able to nab The Winter Soldier.

Julie couldn’t keep the stupid grin off of her face as she looked at Graham who was giving her one of “those” looks and rolling his eyes. When they had completed their sign off, the techs took over immediately, stowing away their equipment and securing it for the night.  They would be back bright and early in the morning to set it all up again for Saturday’s broadcasts.

As Graham walked her to her car, he peppered Julie with questions about how she had happened to run into Sebastian Stan and what part of her anatomy she’d had to sell to get the interview. Laughing out loud, she shook her head, “Graham, I promise you I didn’t do anything but bump into him on the way to the green room.  It was almost as if he recognized me!!  It might have freaked me out a little if I hadn’t been so totally under his spell….those EYES!”

“hmmmm… well, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. So, do me a favor and come up with some good questions for the guy, not the usual stuff we’ve all heard a thousand times.”

“Wait!! Why do I have to come up with the questions?  I reeled him in… shouldn’t you contribute something?”  She was teasing and he knew it, but she wondered why he was making it sound like it was going to be ‘her’ interview. As if reading her mind, Graham spoke up,

“Listen kiddo… I just have this gut feeling that Sebastian might open up a lot more if it’s just the two of you. So, unless you feel too uncomfortable, I really want you to take this one on your own…okay?”

“Okay. Thanks Graham…. I’ll see you early in the morning,” she smiled and gave him a quick hug.

“You bet! Get some rest little one.  Good night!”  He closed her car door and waved before moving away from her car that was parked just a row across from his.  She honked once and waved as she drove off, radio blasting into the cool night air.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Same song, second verse; only better…

She hadn’t believed it was possible, but day two of the Con seemed to explode into life, with even more people, more noise and more excitement than the previous day. The crowd had grown exponentially overnight and the celebrity guests were everywhere!  There were so many shows and movie franchises represented that Julie couldn’t help but be absolutely star-struck, which gave Graham loads of fuel to tease her with; that is until they spotted the beautiful Gal Gadot on her way to the Justice League panel discussions.  Graham nearly trippped over his tongue trying to get a good look at her and Julie wasn’t about to let it go without some kind of hassle.

It was Graham’s turn to play roving reporter and he was eating up all of the attention from the female audience, turning on his ample charm and witty sense of humor. Julie was good with that, as being behind the mic at their booth kept her hopping and her mind off of her upcoming interview with Sebastian Stan.   Sleep had been a long time coming the night before and for some ridiculous reason, she wondered how Sebastian had slept… 

As the time approached, with Graham back in the booth, she took a quick break to go freshen up and clear her mind. She really did want this to be a fun, enjoyable interview for Sebastian; but she also wanted to get into some areas that would be new and interesting for her listeners.  Her long hair was in a ponytail so she just smoothed it out as best she could, added a little color to her cheeks and lips and dabbed a couple of drops of perfume behind her ears.  Taking a couple of deep, cleansing breaths, she winked at her reflection in the mirror and headed back to the booth.

It was just moments until Sebastian was scheduled to arrive and she suddenly turned to Graham,

“Oh my God!! Do I look okay?  Should I let my hair down? Are these jeans too tight?”

Graham started laughing, “I don’t know!! You look fine to me!  Jesus, it’s just another actor… you’ve interviewed a fist full of them before….  Oh… Wait…” his eyes started twinkling, “I know what this is about.  Damn Julie, you are **such** a fangirl!!”

At that moment the curtain behind them parted slightly and Sebastian Stan slipped through; looking like he had just rolled out of bed! After quick introductions, Graham explained that he was going to be screening calls while Julie conducted the interview.  After asking Seb if he needed anything before he went on the air and then putting on a different set of headphones, Graham motioned to Julie to take it away.

 

“… and we are back! This is Julie Cassidy, once again coming to you live from the main floor of Bartle Hall in downtown Kansas City.  This place is a madhouse of activity and excitement and we are smack dab in the middle of it on day two of the KC comic-con!  Graham has been teasing you for the past hour about a special guest who has just joined us in the K-ROC booth.  Ladies, don’t hate me because sitting next to me is the one and only Sebastian Stan!” 

Sebastian smiled broadly at her as he tried to get his headphones positioned comfortably and made a ridiculous face as Julie reached over and pushed a button on the panel right in front of him. Across the main floor a squeal of excitement rose from the unsuspecting crowd as the word spread like wildfire that Seb was being interviewed live at that very moment.

“Welcome Sebastian! Thank you so much for taking the time to join us in the midst of your busy schedule.”

“Hi Julie… thank you for having me.”

“Is this your first visit to Kansas City?”

He scratched his scruffy face as he thought and Julie’s blood pressure inexplicably rose a notch… ”Yes, it is. I’ve been to St. Louis, once I believe, but never made it to this side of the state.”

“ahhhh... I think you will find KC very different from St Louis; that is if you get a chance to see any of it other than Bartle Hall!”

“Well, I’ve HEARD that I might be able to find some pretty decent bar-b-que if I look hard enough…”

Julie laughed, “Yeah, pretty much on any corner! We DO love our bar-b-que. I’ll hook you up with an awesome sandwich and let you decide for yourself!”

Sebastian laughed, “Sounds great!!”

“So you have been on a major roll of late, just turning out one film after another, travelling and making appearances all over the world really.   What do you do to keep yourself grounded and in one piece?  I mean, it has to get pretty rough sometimes?”

As Sebastian went on to explain his routine of eating well, getting exercise as often as could and remembering not to take himself or any of the ‘celebrity status’ quirks of his profession too seriously, Julie found herself being totally sucked in by his boyish charm; The way he moved his hands as he spoke; the comforting sound of his soothing voice. The delightful way he giggled at his own words when he thought he said something funny. And the way he looked at her.  He never took his eyes off of her, almost as if she was his touchstone. 

Graham was looking at her with a wry smile, obviously hoping she was going to ask Sebastian a few of those ‘hard’ questions he had suggested the night before.

“Sebastian, you have become a household name of sorts, and I know that you have done hundreds if not thousands of interviews, and I found myself challenged to come up with a few different questions for you. So, bear with me and we’ll see how this goes, okay?”

Sebastian nodded, “Sure, should I be scared?”

Julie laughed, “I think you’ve got this. Okay…First question: What have you learned about yourself since you became a celebrity?”

Sebastian’s eyes grew round, “Really? You’re going to hit me with the deep stuff right off, huh?”

“Oh, they get better. Just remember, there are no wrong answers!”

He laughed and managed to give a very amusing, thoughtful and interesting answer, a smile on his face the whole time.

Julie continued on with a barrage of ‘different’ questions including the following:

    

Q: What’s the weirdest thing a fan has ever done for you? (A: Sent me a plane ticket to her hometown)  They discussed this one in detail…

Q: What’s your biggest pet peeve? (A: Rude people) They had a brief discussion of rude incidents they had each endured.  
  
Q: What’s your one annoying habit? (A: I used to stick my tongue out a lot, but I think I got that pretty much under control…” Julie requested  
a demonstration… and Seb was more than willing to oblige. She agreed to point out other annoying habits if she should notice any.  
   
Q: What’s your biggest fear? (A: uhhh… I, uh… hmmm… Never finding that ‘someone’ that I can have a family with)   Julie shook her head…   
“You know of course you are going to get all kinds of volunteers now that you’ve thrown that out there?” Seb laughs, “shiiit….”

Q: What sound do you love? (A: Laughter, thunder, music… I can’t pick just one. What sound do YOU love?) Julie smiles, “Same here. Just add   
ocean waves crashing against the shore. Nothing better…”) Sebastian gave her a sultry look as he nodded his head in agreement.  


Q: What turns you on?   (A: That pink nail polish you are wearing.) Sebastian winks and Julie blushes, “Thanks! You’re kind of easy…” Sebastian   
howls with laughter. “So I’ve been told!”

Q: If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? (A: HEY!!! You made it!!”  Julie laughed and Graham   
rolled his eyes… he couldn’t believe how smitten his co-host was with this guy.

  
 “Wow, it looks like we are running out of time.” Julie pointed to the readout display in front of Sebastian.

“No!! This is too much fun!” He looked so relaxed, his eyes twinkling as he smiled at her, Julie believed he really was having a good time!

“I know, right? I have one last question.  Do you like pickles?” (A:  Sebastian bit his lip and then smiled brightly, “Join me for that bar-b-que sandwich you promised and we’ll find out!)

At that moment, Graham broke in “Well, before these two get into a deep discussion about their lunch plans, I’d like to thank you again Sebastian for spending time with us and wish you continued success.”

“Thank you so much! It’s been a pleasure visiting with you guys.” 

“Enjoy the rest of your stay man, and if you DO get Julie to buy your lunch, you’ll have to tell me how that works!   Right now though, we need to take a commercial break.  We’ll be right back.” 

And with that, the interview was over and Julie didn’t know what to say. Sebastian was taking off his headset and she did the same, hoping to have a last word or two with him about… anything, just to keep him there a little longer.  Thankfully, Sebastian was eager to spend a little more time with her as well.  They had stepped behind the curtain and were exchanging the usual chit-chat when he surprised her with a question.

“Julie, how late are you going to be here today? I have a Marvel panel in about 30 minutes and a photo op not too long after that, but I would love to take you up on that lunch date, if you have the time.  Assuming of course you were serious!!”

“Oh!! Of course!  I’ll be here for another couple of hours and then I will be free until 6:30 or so. I would be happy to treat you to some of KC’s finest!”

Sebastian’s eyes sparkled with a wicked gleam, “That sounds perfect… should we meet in the green room around 2:00?”

“Yes… I’ll be there!”

“Great!” he surprised her by leaning down and giving her a lingering kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you then,” after which his manager (who had been hovering around for the past 10 minutes) pointed down the hall, reminding him he needed to get to the staging area of his next appearance.  Sebastian smiled and headed off in one direction while Julie hurried back to the booth and got settled in just in time to go back on air. 

The rest of their show was filled with endless teasing, plenty of laughter, several callers wanting to know what Julie thought of Sebastian and where she was going to take him to lunch…(which of course she would not answer) along with plenty of rockin’ music. During one song, Graham suggested to her that she call ahead and reserve a table at whichever restaurant she planned on taking “Mr. Stan” to visit, which made Julie laugh because he knew exactly where they would go and that Julie had an ‘in’ there and wouldn’t NEED to make any kind of reservation; but she did call ahead and let them know to be looking for her and a special guest and that they should save a secluded corner for them.               

  
 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

 

As soon as Julie ‘clocked out’ she headed to the ladies room to freshen up and try to calm her nerves. Yes, she had met a wide range of celebrity types, most of which were musicians or local sports or entertainment, but she had never been out ‘alone’ with any of them, much less with a huge star like Sebastian Stan.  She knew it was just a lunch date and he had just been teasing earlier, flirting in fun, but her heart would not stop racing and she had a knot in the middle of her stomach. 

“Okay Jules just breathe, smile and try not to make too much of a mess at the restaurant. This will all be over before you know it,” she grinned at her reflection in the mirror, satisfied that she didn’t look too awful, at least at the moment.    When she reached the green room, there were quite a few people milling about, several of them smiled and nodded in greeting but she felt more than a little out of place.  Finding a spot near the door, she sat and pulled out her phone, hoping that no one would notice her.  She had just finished deleting several unimportant emails when a shadow fell across her lap.

“Hi there,” came the soft, gravelly voice. “I hope you haven’t been waiting too long.” 

She couldn’t help but smile at him like an idiot; touched that he seemed almost apologetic that he’d kept her waiting at all.

“No, I’ve just been here a few minutes. Not even enough time to clear out my junk mail,” she said, holding up her phone.

“I’m sorry thought; I really should have been here to meet you,” Sebastian insisted.

“I’m sorry you’re sorry because it’s really no big deal!”

 “Wow!  We haven’t even had our first date and already we’re apologizing to each other!  This could be very interesting…” 

“It could be…and if you are ready, we can find out!” Julie’s tummy had done a little flip when Sebastian referred to their outing as a DATE! _Chill out girlfriend, it’s just an expression_.

He offered his elbow and she slipped her hand into place guiding him to the exit and out to her car. Once they had moved into traffic and traded pleasantries about how each other’s day had gone and how beautiful the weather was, Julie pointed out a few of the local landmarks and points of interest as she cruised along  keeping her eyes and attention on the road.   Sebastian was cool with that, it gave him the chance to study her as he would briefly look this way and that as she pointed things out, his eyes always coming back to rest on her. 

As she pulled into an alleyway and then parked near the back door of a low brick building, he jumped out to help her from the car. When they reached the door, Julie entered several numbers on a keypad and it swooshed open to allow them entry.  They made their way down a narrow hallway as several people in aprons smiled and nodded at Julie in recognition.  Peeking into the kitchen she spotted a nice looking man who joined them and quickly led them to a corner booth, where they sat side by side while Sebastian explored the menu.

After a brief discussion of what some of the dishes were and what Julie would recommend, the waitress took their order and brought drinks and again, they were alone. The place was pretty busy, but the customer service was exceptional and everyone there seemed to be relaxed and enjoying their meals… so much so that no one really took much notice of Sebastian.  Both of them were used to being the one to keep the conversation going so they had an animated conversation going when their food arrived.  Sebastian’s eyes grew large and his mouth watered at the scent of the platters set before them.  As Julie had suggested, he had ordered the burnt end sandwich with the works along with a side of fries and a serving of Smoke Stack’s famous baked beans. Julie had a ham sandwich with beans and coleslaw.  They both had a pickle.

Their conversation slowed down quite a bit while they ate, but Sebastian made it clear that he was enjoying his meal and wondered how it was that she knew the pass code to enter through the back door.

“umm… my aunt is married to the owner. Two of my cousins work at this location and one works at another location.  It’s kind of a family thing, although it’s the ‘other side’ of the family.  So, I’ve been here more times than I can count, I even worked her for a summer… a very long time ago!”

“Okay… so… do you ever go to any of the other BBQ places around town? Or would that be a no-no?” he grinned at her.

Before she could answer, the man that had seated them earlier stopped at their table. Julie introduced Sebastian to her “cousin” and he spoke with the two of them for several minutes.  As he left, he grabbed their server saying “This is on the house.” When Julie tried to argue, he gave her a “don’t argue with me” kind of look and she quickly nodded saying, “Thank You Jack!”  He smiled broadly and left the couple to continue their meal and their conversation….

Sebastian was really having a good time. The food was delicious. The atmosphere was laid back and friendly and the company... he couldn’t think of anyone else he would rather be with at that moment. He was inexplicably charmed by Miss Julie Cassidy.  She was a lovely woman but so unassuming and down to earth, he felt like he had known her for years.    Knowing it was likely they would never meet again, he didn’t want their time together to end.

The plates had been cleared away and fresh drinks delivered and they stayed there for almost another hour before Julie remembered his words during the interview.

“Sebastian! I wasn’t paying attention and I didn’t notice if you ate your pickle or not.”

“Really? Well I guess that means we’ll have to do this again…”

“Oh, come on!! I know my listeners… they are going to be asking me about it, I guarantee you!”

Sebastian just smirked and shook his head slowly back and forth.

“Ok… really?” she shook her head as well, wondering if he could possibly be serious about another ‘date’. She peered at him through squinted eyes but couldn’t help the smile that crossed her face.

“Is that a yes?” Sebastian raised an eyebrow and gave her a sideways glance.

Biting her lip and fighting back a grin she replied, “You know what? This sort of feels like blackmail or something.  Are you that kind of man?”

Pausing for a moment he licked his lower lip and asked her, “Do you want me to be?” He was clearly enjoying the game.

That was so NOT the answer she was expecting and Julie found herself speechless for one of the very few times in her life. Flustered, she tried to come up with a reasonable answer, as she blushed hotly and looked away, shaking her head.  Sebastian laughed out loud before his eyes grew large and he spoke softly, “Oh my God!! Julie, I’m sorry… I just realized that we’ve spent all this time together and I haven’t asked you if you have a, uh... significant other.  I didn’t mean to be too forward or rude or… Do you have a boyfriend?”

He looked so horrified that he might have broken some rule of etiquette that it was Julie’s turn to laugh.

“No. You can relax… there’s nobody uh... exclusive or anything.”

“Thank goodness,” he sighed in relief and then surprised her again when he asked, “Well, then, may I have your number?”

Thinking this must be some kind of joke Julie took the phone that he offered and began entering her number. She stopped once and looked up to see him watching her, his stunning blue eyes making her heart race as she quickly looked away to  finish typing and handed the phone back.  Their fingers touched as he took it and she made a tiny little noise in her throat that brought another smirk to his face. 

Taking a deep breath, she looked across the room and noticed the large clock hanging on the wall. “Oh… gosh, look at the time!  Sebastian It’s honestly been great spending the afternoon with you...  Unfortunately, I DO have plans for a little later, so I should get you back to your hotel and get myself home to get ready.”

With a look that was not quite but **almost** jealousy, he asked, “Hot date?”  Before she could answer him he quickly added, “No... I’m sorry.  That is none of my business.  Thank you so much for showing me a little of your home town and taking the time to treat me to lunch and make me feel welcome… I really had a good time. Really, thank you,” he stood and waited for her to exit the booth, so she could lead the way out.   They were much quieter on the ride back, neither of them could help thinking about how oddly enjoyable their flirty conversation had been. 

When she pulled up in front of the hotel that was directly across the street from the convention center, Sebastian turned to her and took her hand, “It has been a pleasure Ms. Cassidy… I will be calling you. Take care,” and before she knew what he was about, he leaned in and kissed her gently on the mouth, then winked and exited the car.  He turned around to wave and she waved back, a smile spreading across her face.  


As Sebastian entered the lobby and Julie merged with the traffic, she reached for the radio and looked up at the rearview mirror… seeing the look in her eyes she whispered, “Fuck me…”  What on earth had just happened? This day had turned into something she had never expected, never dreamed of.  She had spent a good part of the day with Sebastian Stan; one of the most popular, most sexy and certainly one of the most photographed men in the world!   A horn honked from behind her, urging her to drive on.   And he wanted to see her again?  Could that be right?  No.  He was just playing with her, teasing; she was sure of it.  The next time he picked up his phone he would most likely delete her number… and that was okay.  She was fine with that.  Really.  

“Damn it!!” She had missed her turn.  Shaking her head and scolding herself, she drove to the corner and turned and turned again and again and again to get back to where she needed to be to hop on the highway and make her way home.  Telling herself to snap out of it, she tried very hard to not think about Sebastian Stan… she really tried.

 


	4. Chapter 4

Three weeks later, just as Graham and Julie were about to sign off the air and enjoy their weekend, Julie’s phone vibrated across the desk. She didn’t want to look at it.  Her girlfriend Claire had been bugging her non-stop about doing a ‘double-blind-date’ thing and Julie really was NOT interested.  She’d had some pretty awful blind dates in her life and to be honest, she wasn’t in the mood for men at the present.  She had been dating a guy off and on for about five months now, mostly because he was funny and liked to do a few of the things that she enjoyed; but honestly there was no real ‘passion’, at least not on her side and she had recently given him the “I like you as a friend” speech.   He wasn’t happy about it, but he wasn’t a dick about it either, so at least there was that. 

And of course there was Sebastian. Or more to the point, there was NO Sebastian.  She hadn’t heard a peep out of him since they had parted ways in front of the hotel.  She couldn’t deny her disappointment.  He had seemed so sincere and gone out of his way to make her feel like he might really be interested her.  Of course, she hadn’t **really** believed it.  There was simply no way that she could ever interest a man like him.  No way.  He lived in his own little world of movie stars and red carpets and world premieres and press junkets and interviews and she … well, she didn’t.  They had nothing in common!  It was better that he just walked away and…

“Jules, will you please answer your phone?” Graham had noticed it a handful of times over the past two hours and couldn’t believe that his partner wouldn’t even look at it.

“If you are so interested, why don’t YOU answer it?” she mumbled the words, but Graham heard. Grabbing up the phone he didn’t recognize the number and there was not contact photo attached to it. 

“Julie Cassidy’s phone, this is Graham speaking.” he sounded quite professional. Julie just rolled her eyes and pretended she didn’t care who it was, but the expression that crossed his face as he listened to the voice on the other end was intriguing to say the least.

“Yes, yes she is here. We are just finishing up for the day.  I’m great Se-bas-tian,” he fully enunciated each syllable to make sure Julie heard, “how are you doing?  Nonono!  I don’t always answer her phone, but she has been purposely ignoring it for hours and I… oh wait.  I believe she wants to talk to you.”

Julie grabbed her phone from Graham’s hand, took a deep breath and put the phone to her ear.

“Sebastian?”

“Julie!! Yes, it’s me! Please tell me you are not upset with me.  I fully intended to call you weeks ago but things have been so crazy.  I know ‘busy’ is not a very good excuse. But I am really sorry.”

“Oh… it hasn’t been **that** long, has it?” she was trying to sound cool and unaffected, but there was the tiniest bit of sarcasm lacing her voice and she couldn’t quite hide it.

“You are angry. I don’t blame you.  Please, let me make it up to you,” Sebastian obviously had something in mind.  

“That’s really not necessary. You said you would call, you didn’t say when.  It’s no big deal,” the tightness in her voice belied the words that she spoke.

“Okay… I feel like it IS and I want to make it up to you. Have dinner with me tomorrow night… please.”

She couldn’t help but laugh, “And just how am I supposed to do that?”

“Easy, I’m going to fly there, rent a car, pick you up and take you out. Please say yes.”

“Wha… what? No. Sebastian, that’s crazy. And why on earth would you go to all that trouble?” Julie was freaking out at the very thought that he **could** do something like that, much less the idea that he would do it, just to see her.

“Why? Because I really enjoyed spending time with you; because I think you are smart and funny and gorgeous!”  Sebastian wanted to add that he hadn’t been able to get her out of his mind for the past three weeks, but he didn’t want to sound like some kind of stalker. “And because you aren’t like anyone else I know, and I really like that… I like you.”  He bit his lip as he waited for her response.

After a few seconds she finally spoke, “Sebastian… that is very sweet of you, it really is. But, no.  I don’t think it’s a good idea.  Not that you aren’t utterly amazing, because you are and I’m sure you’ve been told that a million times okay… but it’s true.  And I’m not angry with you, I’m really not. I just don’t think… I mean… I’m really, really flattered that you even called, I certainly don’t expect you to make a special trip to see me.’

She was fumbling and stumbling trying to find the right thing to say, which was impossible when she didn’t even know what the right thing was. She felt like an idiot.

 “Oh,” he sounded totally defeated.  “I’m sorry; I thought we sort of had this mutual attraction going.  I, uh, was I wrong?”

“No. Of course you aren’t wrong. And of course I have been waiting breathlessly for you to call… but not for this.  I mean, I was expecting a “hi, how are ya?” kind of conversation, not a dinner invitation!”

Sebastian chuckled, “Well, we could do anything you want, I just thought dinner, on me this time, sounded like the right thing.”

Julie giggled, “Sebastian, it’s not the dinner that’s the issue. It’s us… it’s this whole long distance thing. I mean, you are asking me on a date, right?  A date kind of date… right?”

He laughed again, “Yes… I am asking you on a date. And I think I get what you are saying.  You aren’t interested in a long distance romance.  I get that.  I don’t like it, but I get it.”

The line was quiet and Sebastian began to wonder if they had been cut off. “Julie?  Are you still with me?”

Julie nodded and then rolled her eyes at her own actions…”Yes, Sebastian I’m here. And I’m thinking how stupid I must be to pass up a night out with you.  You are this freaking amazing guy its not that I’m not interested, I just don’t see how it could work… and I would rather just have the good memories we already have than… oh…am I making any sense?”

He sighed deeply, “Unfortunately, yes… you are making a certain kind of sense and I understand your trepidation. But, how about this?  How about we first work on building a friendship kind of relationship?  No pressure, no commitments… just two people who talk on the phone, or text or maybe, possibly just get together to visit on occasion.  How does that sound?”

He sounded so sweet and sincere and hopeful, how could she possibly say no to that?

“Yes, okay. That sounds good; if you’re sure… I mean, I don’t want you to feel like you have to waste your time on me.  But I would love to hear from you now and then, if you are comfortable with that.”

Sebastian smiled into the phone, “I am. So … Hi, how are ya?”

They both laughed then and proceeded to have a lengthy conversation. They discussed their families, their friends, co-workers, some of their favorite things to do, places they had seen and where they might like to go someday.  They spoke of music and movies and politics and even touched on religion.  And through it all, even though they had been raised quite differently, they found out how very much alike they were.

The following night, Sebastian DID come to town so they could have dinner together, as friends.   He didn’t bring the flowers he would normally have brought for a first date.  But he didn’t come empty handed either.  When he handed her the gift bag she gave him a sideways glance and cautiously pulled out the tissue paper to reveal a plush, green, pickle-shaped stuffed toy.   Julie laughed so hard it brought tears to her eyes and it was music to Sebastian’s ears.


	5. Epilogue

 

_Despite her determination to keep their relationship on a “friends only” level, Julie found that she was defenseless against Sebastian’s ample charms; and that she always managed to have time to talk to him when he called and to see him when he ‘unexpectedly’ came to town on a suspiciously regular basis.  Neither of them noticed exactly when they started holding hands or sitting with Sebastian’s arm around Julie’s shoulder, her hand resting on his thigh.  They always exchanged a gentle kiss good night, right from the start and when those kisses began to linger a little longer than even the best of friends might share, it felt like a natural progression._

_Somewhere along the way to the one year anniversary of the first day they met, they had managed to fall in love. And just as they had suspected, it wasn’t easy; but it was good and it was real and it worked because they made it happen._

_I don’t know if they live happily ever after; but they live happy together, and that’s a good place to start._

 

_https://youtu.be/0ItdraVXvAE_

**Your Kiss Is On My List Live from Daryl's House**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I started this story I had no idea where it was headed. By the end of chapter one, I realized it was going to be a short, simple little tale about two people who decide to give love a chance, even though they know it won't be easy and the odds are against them. I like to believe that the characters are both willing and strong enough to make it work. 
> 
> What do you think?


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